France at the FIFA World Cup
This is a record of France's results at the FIFA World Cup. France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in 16 FIFA World Cups, tied for the sixth most of any country.[1] The national team is one of eight to have won the FIFA World Cup title and one of only six to have done so more than once.[2]
The French team won its first World Cup title in 1998.[3] The tournament was played on home soil and France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final match at the Stade de France.[4][5][6][7] The tournament was hosted in France once before in 1938, where France was eliminated by defending champions Italy in the quarter-finals. In 2018, France won the World Cup for the second time, defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Russia.[8]
In 2006 and 2022, France finished as runners-up, losing on penalties to Italy (5–3) and Argentina (4–2) after ties after 120 minutes. The team has also finished in third place on two occasions, in 1958 and 1986, and in fourth place once, in 1982.[9][10]
FIFA World Cup record
[edit]FIFA World Cup finals record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
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Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Campaign | |
1930 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Squad | Qualified as invitees | |||||||
1934 | Round of 16 | 9th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Squad | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1934 | |
1938 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | 1938 | ||||||
1950 | Originally did not qualify, then invited, later withdrew | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1950 | |||||||||
1954 | Group stage | 11th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Squad | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 1954 | |
1958 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 15 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 1958 | |
1962 | Did not qualify | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 1962 | |||||||||
1966 | Group stage | 13th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Squad | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1966 | |
1970 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1970 | |||||||||
1974 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1974 | ||||||||||
1978 | Group stage | 12th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1978 | |
1982 | Fourth place | 4th | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 12 | Squad | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 8 | 1982 | |
1986 | Third place | 3rd | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | Squad | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 4 | 1986 | |
1990 | Did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 1990 | |||||||||
1994 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 10 | 1994 | ||||||||||
1998 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | 1998 | ||||||
2002 | Group stage | 28th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Squad | Qualified as defending champions | 2002 | ||||||
2006 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | Squad | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 2006 | |
2010 | Group stage | 29th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Squad | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 2010 | |
2014 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | Squad | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 2014 | |
2018 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 6 | Squad | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 2018 | |
2022 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | Squad | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 2022 | |
2026 | To be determined | To be determined | 2026 | ||||||||||||||
2030 | 2030 | ||||||||||||||||
2034 | 2034 | ||||||||||||||||
Total | 2 titles | 16/25 | 73 | 39 | 14* | 20 | 136 | 85 | N/A | 119 | 70 | 26 | 23 | 234 | 91 | Total |
- *Knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out are considered a draw.
- **Red border indicates tournament was held on home soil.
France's World Cup record | |
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First Match | France 4–1 Mexico (15 July 1930; Montevideo, Uruguay) |
Biggest Win | France 7–3 Paraguay (8 June 1958; Norrköping, Sweden) |
Biggest Defeat | Brazil 5–2 France (24 June 1958; Solna, Sweden) |
Best Result | Champions in 1998 and 2018 |
Worst Result | Group stage in 1930, 1954, 1966, 1978, 2002 and 2010 |
By match
[edit]Record by opponent
[edit]FIFA World Cup matches (by team) | ||||||
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Opponent | Total | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA |
Italy | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
Brazil | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
Germany | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 9 |
Mexico | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
Denmark | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Uruguay | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Argentina | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
Belgium | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Austria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Croatia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Hungary | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Northern Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Paraguay | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
South Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Poland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
Yugoslavia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Canada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Chile | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Czechoslovakia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Honduras | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Kuwait | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Nigeria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Peru | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Portugal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Saudi Arabia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Senegal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Togo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
France at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
[edit]Head coach: Aimé Jacquet
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
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1 | GK | Bernard Lama | 7 April 1963 (aged 35) | 37 | Paris Saint Germain |
2 | DF | Vincent Candela | 24 October 1973 (aged 24) | 10 | Roma |
3 | DF | Bixente Lizarazu | 9 December 1969 (aged 28) | 32 | Bayern Munich |
4 | MF | Patrick Vieira | 23 June 1976 (aged 21) | 7 | Arsenal |
5 | DF | Laurent Blanc | 19 November 1965 (aged 32) | 68 | Marseille |
6 | FW | Youri Djorkaeff | 9 March 1968 (aged 30) | 37 | Internazionale |
7 | MF | Didier Deschamps (c) | 15 October 1968 (aged 29) | 69 | Juventus |
8 | DF | Marcel Desailly | 7 September 1968 (aged 29) | 41 | Milan |
9 | FW | Stéphane Guivarc'h | 6 September 1970 (aged 27) | 6 | Auxerre |
10 | MF | Zinedine Zidane | 23 June 1972 (aged 25) | 33 | Juventus |
11 | MF | Robert Pires | 29 October 1973 (aged 24) | 13 | Metz |
12 | FW | Thierry Henry | 17 August 1977 (aged 20) | 3 | Monaco |
13 | MF | Bernard Diomède | 23 January 1974 (aged 24) | 6 | Auxerre |
14 | MF | Alain Boghossian | 27 October 1970 (aged 27) | 6 | Sampdoria |
15 | DF | Lilian Thuram | 1 January 1972 (aged 26) | 32 | Parma |
16 | GK | Fabien Barthez | 28 June 1971 (aged 26) | 12 | Monaco |
17 | MF | Emmanuel Petit | 22 September 1970 (aged 27) | 17 | Arsenal |
18 | DF | Frank Lebœuf | 22 January 1968 (aged 30) | 13 | Chelsea |
19 | MF | Christian Karembeu | 3 December 1970 (aged 27) | 31 | Real Madrid |
20 | FW | David Trezeguet | 15 October 1977 (aged 20) | 4 | Monaco |
21 | FW | Christophe Dugarry | 24 March 1972 (aged 26) | 23 | Marseille |
22 | GK | Lionel Charbonnier | 25 October 1966 (aged 31) | 1 | Auxerre |
France vs South Africa (Group C)
[edit]France | South Africa |
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Assistant referees: |
France vs Saudi Arabia (Group C)
[edit]France | Saudi Arabia |
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Assistant referees: |
France vs Denmark (Group C)
[edit]France | Denmark |
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Assistant referees: |
France vs Paraguay (round of 16)
[edit]France | Paraguay |
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Assistant referees: |
Italy vs France (Quarter-final)
[edit]Italy | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | France |
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Report | ||
Penalties | ||
R. Baggio Albertini Costacurta Vieri Di Biagio | 3–4 | Zidane Lizarazu Trezeguet Henry Blanc |
Italy | France |
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Assistant referees: |
France vs Croatia (Semi-final)
[edit]France | Croatia |
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Assistant referees: |
Brazil vs France (Final)
[edit]The 1998 final was held on 12 July at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis. France defeated holders Brazil 3–0, with two goals from Zinedine Zidane and a stoppage time strike from Emmanuel Petit. The win gave France their first World Cup title, becoming the sixth national team after Uruguay, Italy, England, West Germany and Argentina to win the tournament on their home soil. They also inflicted the heaviest defeat on Brazil since 1930.[11]
The pre-match build up was dominated by the omission of Brazilian striker Ronaldo from the starting lineup only to be reinstated 45 minutes before kick-off.[12] He managed to create the first open chance for Brazil in the 22nd minute, dribbling past defender Thuram before sending a cross out on the left side that goalkeeper Fabien Barthez struggled to hold onto. France however took the lead in the 27th minute after Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos conceded a corner which Zidane scored with a header from the right.[13] Three minutes before half-time, Zidane scored his second goal of the match, similarly another header from a corner, this time from the left side. The tournament hosts went down to ten men in the 68th minute as Marcel Desailly was sent off for a second bookable offence. Brazil reacted to this by making an attacking substitution and although they applied pressure France sealed the win with a third goal: substitute Patrick Vieira set up his club teammate Petit in a counterattack to shoot low past goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel.[14]
French president Jacques Chirac was in attendance to congratulate and commiserate the winners and runners-up respectively after the match.[15] Several days after the victory, winning manager Aimé Jacquet announced his resignation from the French team with immediate effect.[16][17][18]
Brazil | France |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: | Match rules
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France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
[edit]Head coach: Didier Deschamps
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
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1 | GK | Hugo Lloris (captain) | 26 December 1986 (aged 31) | 98 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
2 | DF | Benjamin Pavard | 28 March 1996 (aged 22) | 6 | 0 | VfB Stuttgart |
3 | DF | Presnel Kimpembe | 13 August 1995 (aged 22) | 2 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain |
4 | DF | Raphaël Varane | 25 April 1993 (aged 25) | 42 | 2 | Real Madrid |
5 | DF | Samuel Umtiti | 14 November 1993 (aged 24) | 19 | 2 | Barcelona |
6 | MF | Paul Pogba | 15 March 1993 (aged 25) | 54 | 9 | Manchester United |
7 | FW | Antoine Griezmann | 21 March 1991 (aged 27) | 54 | 20 | Atlético Madrid |
8 | FW | Thomas Lemar | 12 November 1995 (aged 22) | 12 | 3 | Monaco |
9 | FW | Olivier Giroud | 30 September 1986 (aged 31) | 74 | 31 | Chelsea |
10 | FW | Kylian Mbappé | 20 December 1998 (aged 19) | 15 | 4 | Paris Saint-Germain |
11 | FW | Ousmane Dembélé | 15 May 1997 (aged 21) | 12 | 2 | Barcelona |
12 | MF | Corentin Tolisso | 3 August 1994 (aged 23) | 9 | 0 | Bayern Munich |
13 | MF | N'Golo Kanté | 29 March 1991 (aged 27) | 24 | 1 | Chelsea |
14 | MF | Blaise Matuidi | 9 April 1987 (aged 31) | 67 | 9 | Juventus |
15 | MF | Steven Nzonzi | 15 December 1988 (aged 29) | 4 | 0 | Sevilla |
16 | GK | Steve Mandanda | 28 March 1985 (aged 33) | 27 | 0 | Marseille |
17 | DF | Adil Rami | 27 December 1985 (aged 32) | 35 | 1 | Marseille |
18 | FW | Nabil Fekir | 18 July 1993 (aged 24) | 12 | 2 | Lyon |
19 | DF | Djibril Sidibé | 29 July 1992 (aged 25) | 17 | 1 | Monaco |
20 | FW | Florian Thauvin | 26 January 1993 (aged 25) | 4 | 0 | Marseille |
21 | DF | Lucas Hernandez | 14 February 1996 (aged 22) | 5 | 0 | Atlético Madrid |
22 | DF | Benjamin Mendy | 17 July 1994 (aged 23) | 7 | 0 | Manchester City |
23 | GK | Alphonse Areola | 27 February 1993 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain |
France vs Australia (Group C)
[edit]France[20] | Australia[20] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[20] |
France vs Peru (Group C)
[edit]France[23] | Peru[23] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[23] |
Denmark vs France (Group C)
[edit]Denmark[26] | France[26] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[26] |
France vs Argentina (round of 16)
[edit]France[29] |